Cultural growth expected for 2038

Maori, Asian and Pasifika populations in Hawke's Bay will grow in coming years, according to fresh projections released by Statistics New Zealand.

By 2038, 73 per cent of Hawke's Bay's population is projected to identify as European or Other (including New Zealander), down from 78 per cent in 2013. The next biggest group, Maori, is expected to increase from 25 per cent in 2013 to 34 per cent in 2038.

The number of people identifying as Asian will grow from 4 per cent to 8 per cent, while the Pacific population will grow from 5 to 10 per cent.

African, Middle Eastern and Latin American populations are also expected to grow nationally but the numbers are too small for Statistics NZ to project the growth.

Under the Statistics NZ criteria, people can identify with more than one ethnicity. The projections are based on different combinations of fertility, mortality, migration, and inter-ethnic mobility assumptions.

Multicultural Association Hawke's Bay president Sook Hua Lee said the region's growing diversity was great.

"We have good turnouts of migrants and locals at our pot luck dinners and people love getting in to International Cultures Day and Asians in the Bay.

"People are definitely becoming more and more aware of different cultures."

More could be done to help cultures integrate, however.

"Our vision is to connect the diverse culture in Hawke's Bay with respect and unity" Ms Lee said. "If you don't have respect for different cultures, there's going to be tension. People who aren't used to mixing with different cultures in day-to-day life can feel a bit awkward. "Some people have fear of the unknown and wouldn't hire somebody because they're a migrant. People who do hire them have to be open-minded."

Ms Lee said it was great the Government had a focus on Maori and Pacific educational achievement.

"They've made good progress but there's still room for improvement. I think the Government needs to look at being more diverse when it comes to education." By 2038, 18 per cent of the population is expected to identify with more than one of the four main ethnic groupings - up from 11 per cent in 2013.

Maori, Asian, and Pacific populations will increase in nearly all regions, but those identifying as "European or Other" will represent a decreasing share of people.

The Maori population will make up nearly 20 per cent of the total population by 2038, up from nearly 16 per cent in 2013.

Meanwhile, the Asian population will increase from 12 per cent in 2013 to 21 per cent in 2038.

The Pacific population will also increase, from 8 per cent in 2013 to 11 per cent in 2038. Meanwhile, the "European or Other" population will drop from 75 per cent in 2013 to 66 per cent in 2038.